SPRINGFIELD – As the foreclosure crisis spread over the last few years, the unincorporated areas outside of cities and towns became home to more and more abandoned properties. Businesses closed their doors and warehouses, storage facilities and industrial buildings were deserted.

This week, Senator Melinda Bush (D-Grayslake) began to move legislation that would give Lake County the ability to collect the cost of bulldozing or refurbishing an abandoned property when that property is eventually sold.

“Cities and towns have always been awarded this right, but counties have not,” Senator Bush said. “This plan simply gives counties the same ability to reclaim the funds that they’ve previously invested in keeping citizens safe from dilapidated properties.”